Friday, June 21, 2013

Graduation Posts- Not for Me

It occurred to me that several of my classmates, and many of my friends who graduated with me this year have posted a "graduation post" (or a "prom post" earlier in the year) on Facebook. In this post, they talk about how great their high school experience was, that they'll never forget the people and friends, they'll stay in touch, and that high school was one of the greatest experiences of their lives.

I was actually considering putting up my own post.

Until I realized.

High school is NOT going to be a high point in my life. I refuse to let it be. For one thing, I was miserable and a step away from suicidal for almost half of it. I didn't enjoy myself while in the company of a large majority of my classmates. This isn't to call out my classmates and call them cruel or anything. I like most of my peers from Ballard. I'm fond of several. I'm close with a few. But if anyone tells you that I "fit in" or "truly belonged" in high school, they're wrong. For which I'm grateful, but that's another post all together.

I have no desire to post a "farewell" to my high school because I don't feel that it would fit. Sure, I'll miss several of the teachers. I'll miss the familiarity of a set schedule each day. I'll miss interacting with my peers, friends, and the like. I'll miss the extra curricular activities I participated in. But I don't think saying good bye accomplishes anything.

My thoughts on graduating are that I'm glad it's over. I'm glad I'm gone. I know that when I walked to my car after my graduation ceremony, I didn't look back. I'm not sad to have left because I've got another chapter ahead of me. Why worry about the last chapter? Yeah, the chapter that just ended was beyond important. I know so much about myself and the world, and all that overly cliche stuff because of high school. But there's always tomorrow. And my tomorrow is going to be pretty flipping amazing. I refuse to look at it any other way.

I don't know if all that made any sense, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that those posts on Facebook aren't authentic. Or at least they wouldn't be if they came from me.

Because let's be real. If high school and prom were the things you looked back on your life with the most satisfaction and pride when you had a stream of clear fluids dripping into your arm with silently weeping family members all around you 70 years from now, I don't think that you lived as full a life as you could have.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

One Ringy-Dingy. . .

If you don't understand this picture, watch the video. . . :)
After SOAR, I realized that there would be conflicts with Marching Band and my schedule. Today I called down to NWMSU to figure out how to change my schedule. Here's my advice to you if you want stuff to happen quickly: USE THE PHONE! It seems like a no-brainer, but I know how easy it can be to fire off an e-mail and just wait for a response, because it means that you don't have to talk to anyone. Well, take it from me, the girl who doesn't like to talk to strangers on the phone, that calling people is the way to go!
I talked to 4 people in 20 minutes and each of them either answered my question, fixed my problem, or transferred me to someone who could.
My new class now will be Fundamentals of Oral Communication on TR from 9:35-10:50. Woohoo! Speech!

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Classes running low? Whatevs.

So I found out that several classes at my school are filling up rather quickly, which is a bummer since my orientation is in early July, and I have a close friend with her orientation in late July.

But it's our own fault, so we're gonna suck it up and deal with it like the Iowans we are.

Aaaaaaaand that's it.

Oh, I would like to point out that I am going to the number two party school in the country. (West Virginia is number one.)

Because we all know how much of a party animal I am.

Happy Father's Day!

Goodbye, Youth Group

Tonight is my last Overflow of all time.

I will sit on a stool and listen to people talk about me and then listen to Gabe talk about me and then most likely I will cry and then I will dribble snot on myself (sorry, it's the truth, folks) and then I will cry during the car ride home.

Saying goodbye to stuff is not my favorite thing in the world, but man has it been an awesome six years with youth group!  

We have the best youth pastor on the planet, I'm positive.  The people are so nice.  Summer and Mrs. D gave me a devotional for college.  

We play cool games like "Break Apart" and "Elves, Giants and Dragons".  We have gone on retreats that have been total highlights of my life.  We've done Bible studies that have helped make me who I am today.

I owe SO MUCH to youth group.  Actually, to God, who did all the cool stuff through youth group.

I still just can't believe I'm leaving it.  


P.S.  I'm not sure if this really belongs on this blog, but it's something I have to do before Northwestern.  Plus, I can't blog for eight weeks, so time to get it out of my system!!

P.P.S.  Your turn, Billie :)

S.O.A.R.ing at Northwest Missouri State

Yesterday was S.O.A.R. at NWMSU. S.O.A.R. stands for Student Orientation And Registration, and I can say that I was both orientated and registered throughout the course of the day. It was a three hour drive down, so Dad and I left bright and early at 5 a.m.! (Yawn!)
The biggest part of the day was getting our schedules, and I was really excited about it! They originally didn't have me grouped with the honors students (which affected my schedule) but they quickly worked out the mistake and apologized and I got right where I need to be. The perks of being in the honors program (after the first semester) are that you will get to select your classes at the same time as the graduate students and before even the seniors, but for now, we get the last places, just like everyone else.
Some highlights of schedule-making:
~I was in College Algebra on my first schedule. I cringed. I am not good at Algebra. I asked if I could change to Honors General Statistics, since I loved Stats and it really clicked for me. The guy I was working with (Cameron) was able to switch me with just a few clicks! Hallelujah! No Algebra!
~Because of my high English ACT score, I could opt to take Accelerated Composition. Now usually classes that begin with "Accelerated" anything get shied away from, but I really enjoy English classes, so I don't think I'll mind.
~I need a fine arts credit for Gen. Ed., and I asked to flip from the one I had assigned to me to Ethnographic Film Study, which is a 2.5 hour class on Thursdays where you watch and study movies! Booyah! However, I might not be able to stay in that class, since it goes from 2-4:30, and Marching Band is every day from 4:10-5:15. (They overlooked Marching Band while planning my schedule, but that should be the only conflict. I'm going to call them Monday.)

Here's my schedule as it currently stands. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are going to be full, but I think it'll make planning study time easier on Tuesdays and Thursdays!
MWF:
8-8:50 (Fridays 8-8:25): Computers and Information Technology
10-10:50- Intro to Mass Media
11-11:50- Accelerated Composition
1-1:50- General Statistics
TR:
1-1:50: Freshman Seminar
2-4:30- Ethnographic Film Study (tentatively!)
Daily:
4:10-5:15: Marching Band!

I would like to point out the fact that, yes indeed, I have an 8 a.m. class MWF. I heard a lot of hype about 8 a.m. classes, and I don't quite get it myself because, if I'm not mistaken, for the past 13 years, you've had to get up and go to class at 8 a.m. every morning. Maybe it's just the people who want to go drink and party every night, and in that case I say good riddance!
I would also like to say I'm a little bummed I don't have a history class this semester. I hope I have one soon. There's an Honors History class I would really like to take.
Final point, I'll be adding my Spanish minor soon. That way I can dive in to my Spanish classes and not lose too much of what I learned. They just don't have them to being with. You have to go request a minor.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

A Pre-College Conversation

Billie: SO. What da heck are we doing?

Eliza: Today I decided to take about 5 different T-shirts to Boot Camp. It's not actually boot camp, though. We just wear boots and sweat a lot. It's training for the mission trip that I'm taking to Ireland.

Billie: Oh yeah, you are going to the UK. I am a jealous soul.

Kara: Me too! Irish people seem quite nice, and have cute accents.

Eliza: Every time I tell people I am going to Ireland, they're like, "That doesn't sound like a mission trip. It sounds like a vacation." And I'm like, "We have to wear boots the whole time and we don't go sight-seeing! Well, not much. We hardly do any sightseeing.

Billie: Bull crap. You will do sightseeing!

Kara: Either way, you won't be here over the summer! Boo!

B: Well, I know I'd like a vacation to Ireland since I'm working full time.

E: IT'S NOT A VACATION!!

B: You're going to Ireland!

E: But hardly anybody in Europe believes in Jesus! Check the stats, man!

K: Yeah! Well, I'm also working over the summer and earning money for college!

B: Because goodness knows that the word "poor" is practically a required prefix for the phrase "college student."

E: I bought awesome gum for the plane trip. (Can only think about the trip. . .)

K: I like gum!

E: Can we talk about the fact that Billie just gave me a wine bottle shaped breath mint?

B: Yes, yes we can. They are awesome mints. You can pick your teeth and make your breath fresh.

E: Eww!

B: It's true.

K: Moving on. . .

B: Speaking of moving, I was just in Wyoming!

K: What'd ya do there?

B: Not much. I had no cell phone reception or Wi-Fi. I was literally removed from civilization as we know it. It was awesome.

E: Did you eat any good food?

B: The first day, I had bacon for breakfast and tuna noodles for dinner.

K: Yum!

B: So Kara, what are you going to do with all yo' money? Buy expensive textbooks?

K: No, cuz my textbooks are included in my tuition! I don't have to worry about them, or about my laptop (which is complementary), and my laundry (which is free!).

E: What's your roommate situation again?

K: I won't know who my roomie is until mid-July. I wish it was sooner, like all the other schools around!

E: I want a Korean roommate who teaches me Korean.

B: I figured out my roommate in late April, maybe early May. All I know is that I already know who she is. (Hi, Jey!)

E: We're going to try to (individually) post no less than once every three weeks.

B: So we don't become lazy bums in college.

K: Stay tuned to hear all about our adventures in college life!

All: In. . . The College Chronicles (Cue game show music. . .)